Sad, but True

For most of my adult life, I've been a solid supporter of Israel's right to exist. And I've written in the past that the Arabs who call themselves Palestinians are to blame for much of what has befallen them, and that the Israeli government should not be blamed for any level of military response they employ against an enemy that believes Jews are worthy of renewed genocidal efforts. Over the years, however, it's become clear to me that criticizing the actions of the Israeli government doesn't mean the critic is an anti-Semite. There are also Arabs living in Gaza and the West Bank who just want to live their lives and don't really care if Israel is there, because Israelis can be good business partners.

That being said, the comments of this Sullivan reader struck me as very true, although pathetically sad. As a 32-year resident of Los Angeles and someone who's witnessed a fair amount of horrific fires in and around this area, I can understand that the best way to put out a big fire is to surround it and let it burn itself out with the fuel that's still there. As the US and European and Russian governments continue to pump in billions of dollars in aid to both sides in this conflict, we are adding fuel. Clearly, the Israeli government and many of its citizens are more interested in beating the Arabs to a pulp to get them to give up their genocidal goals, and clearly some Arabs are more interested in fulfilling Koranic imperatives for a Muslim caliphate in the region than in acknowledging what they share in common with their enemies.